Latch for carriage and translating device of phonographs



Aug. 29, 1950 R. c. VAN CAMP 2,520,290

' LATCH FOR CARRIAGE AND TRANSLATING DEVICE 0F PHONOGRAPHS Filed Sept. 27, 1944 Enventor Roscoe CVarz (amp (Ittomeg Patented Aug. 29, 1950 LATCH FOR CARRIAGE AND TRAN SLATIN G DEVICE OF PHGNOGRAPHS Roscoe C. Van Camp, Madison, N. J., assignor to Thomas A. Edison, Incorporated, West Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 27, 1944, Serial No. 556,039

6 Claims.

This invention relates to translating apparatus such as phonographs and the like for recording and/or reproducing sound. The primary purpose of this invention is to provide a phonograph in combination with a device for latching the carriage in a predetermined position and at the same time maintaining the stylus of the translating device in inoperative position. By employing this invention, the control lever for the sound translating device may be latched in neutral position and the carriage may be locked in an extreme position so that the phonograph may be transported without danger of accidental contact of the stylus with a mounted record or record support and of accidental sliding of the carriage. Because of the simplicity and novelty of the pres ent invention, these results may be obtained at a very low cost and by the addition of but a few andsimple parts to the present as well as to the old'apparatus of this character. This primary and other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent from the following description and drawings, wherein;

Figure '1 is a shortened top plan view of a phonograph for sound recording and embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a View similar to the view shown in Figure 2 and is a modification thereof in that there is shown a recorder-reproducer device and a modified latching means in ope'ative position. 7 'Figure 4 is a top plan view of certain parts of Figure 3. but with the latching means in inoperative position.

Figure 5 is a View in side elevation of certain parts 0 eure 4 and shows the latch in inoperative position.

As shown in the drawings, the phonograph may include a base 50 which may be hin ed or in some other manner mounted in a ca inet (not shown). Said base H) has a pai" of spaced supporting standards I2 and I3 integral therewith and extending upwardly therefrom. Secured to standards l2 and I3 and extending therebetween are two longitudinal carriage supporting cylindrical rods M and which are spaced from each other. A shaft supporting standard [5 is integral with said base In and extends upwardly therefrom. A shaft I1 is journalled in said standard l6 and carries a support or mandrel [8 on which is removably mounted a record T9. The mandrel or record support I8 is preferably a tapered cylinder which may be expanded or contracte d. Mandrels of this type are common to this art. Mounted for slidable movement on the supporting rods 14 and i5 is a carriage having a forwardly extending head 2| carrying a sound translating device 22. The sound translating device 22 is of the electrical type, has a stylus 23 and is pivot-ally mounted at 24. At the rear end of the electrical translating device 22 is a projection 25 in contact with a control device 25 which may be actuated so that the stylus 23 may be moved to operative or inoperative position.

Mounted in the supporting brackets or standards l2 and i3 are two oppositely disposed short cylindrical members 27 and 28 extending through said standards and interiorly and exteriorly thereof. The interiorly extending portions thereof terminate in cone shaped hearings on which is mounted a feed screw 29. The exteriorly extending portion of member 28 may be used as a stop element in the manner hereinafter described.

The feed screw 29 may be coupled to the drive shaft IT by a train of gears 30 so that the carriage 20 may be slidably fed along the rods l4 and I5. On the carriage 20 there is pivotally mounted a lever 3| carrying a feed nut 32 at the free end thereof. This lever 3| may be mounted on a pin 33 secured to two side walls at the rear hollow portion of carriage 20 and is u'ged towards the feed screw by a spring (not shown). Also mounted on the rod [5 and slidable thereon with the carriage 20 is the control device 25. The carriage 28 has a slot 34 the'ein at the upper part thereof. The control device 25 includes a control lever 35 hav ng a cam portion 35. The cam portion 36 cooperates with a slidable plun er 36a which is carried by the carriage and which bears against lever 3|. The control lever 35 exte ds t rou h and aterialy o tsid o the slot 34 whose width is materially grea er than that of control lever 35. The cam portion 35 has a pro- J'ection 31 for enga ing and releasing the projection 25 whereby the translat ng device 22 may be moved to operative or inoperative position. When the lever 35 is in the neutral position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the feed nut 32 is disengaged from the feed screw and the stylus 23 and translating device 22 are located away from the record 19 and therefore in inoperative position whereby the cariage is free to slide on the rods 14 and I5. This is the relative position of parts desired in phonograph transportation. When the control lever 35 is in forwardmost position. the lever 3i and project on 25 are released whereupon the feed nut 32 en ages the feed screw 29 and the translator 22 swings downwardly about pivot 24 and carries the stylus 23 down to the record l9.

As shown in Figure 1, the drive is the common phonograph drive mechanism of a motor driving a pulley which in turn drives the shaft l1 through a clutch.

According to this invention a locking means 50 is mounted on the standard i3. This latch or locking means 50 is of simple design and may be merely a piece of flat metal consisting of a lever having a stop projection or arm 52 at its lower end and a bent over hook type portion 53 terminating in a downwardly extending short fiat element 54. When latch 56 is in latching position portion 54 thereof is located in that portion of the slot 34 forwardly of control lever 35 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. With element 54 in the forward part of slot 34 the control lever 35 is kept from moving forwardly in said slot 34 thus to prevent the stylus from moving to operative position. When in latching position latch 50 further serves to lock the carriage 2B in its,

extreme position at the ri ht hand side to prevent said carriage from sliding along the rods l4 and I5 during transportation of the machine. As shown, the lever 5| has an elongated slot therein and extending through said slot is a pivot pin 55 secured to the standard l3. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pin 55 couples the latch 50 to the standard it and the hook portion of latch 58 extends over the carriage 29 at its forward end and the short insert portion 54 thereof is located in the free space of the slot 34 to lock the carriage in position and to prevent accidental displacement of the control lever 35 out of neutral position; thus to maintain the stylus 23 away from the record and feed nut 32 away from feed screw 29 and in inoperative positions.

When the phonograph reaches its destination and it is desired to use the same, the latch 50 is lifted, whereupon the pin 55 is located at the bottom of the slot, and the insert 54 is removed from the slot in the carriage. Thereupon the carriage is slid to the left and the latch 50 is swung back about the pivot and retaining pin 55 to reach its rear or rest position wherein the arm 52 thereof rests against the stop 28; and now control lever 35 is free to be moved to the forward position in slot 34 to bring both feed nut 32 and stylus 23 into operative positions. With the latch 56 in this inoperative position, it is out of the path of the carriage travel during use of the phonograph. As shown, the latch 50 is so proportioned in its parts and in particular the length of projection 54 and the slot in lever 5| are so proportioned, that the projection 54 can never be located in slot 34 when the control lever 35 is in the forward portion of slot 34 wherein the feed nut 32 and the stylus 23 are in operative positions. Thus latch 50 is only effective to latch lever 35 and carriage 25] when lever 35 is in neutral position, and since it is ineffective for latching when the lever 35 is in any other position, the packer of these phonographs for transportation can employ the latch 55 for latching the carriage 20 and lever 35 onl when the carriage 28 is at its extreme right hand position and the lever 35 is in neutral position.

While I have shown this invention as applied to a phonograph having a translating element with a single stylus 23 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which there is a single operative position of the translating element or stylus, it is equally applicable to those phonographs or similar devices in which a control device similar to control device 26 is coupled with the feed nut 32 and another of the well known types of translating device such as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 illustrates an acoustical type of translating device having a recording stylus 66 and a reproducing stylus 61 coupled with the control device 52. The control device 52 has a control lever 53 extending upwardly through a slot 54 in the carriage. In operation of this particular type of recorderreproducer, when the control lever 63 is in the neutral position in the slot 66, the stylii are disposed in inoperative position and away from record I9, the feed nut 32 is in inoperative position and out of contact with the feed screw 29 and the carriage 20 is freely slidable on rod l5. When the control lever 63 is at the center of the slot 64 and thus in neutral position, there is an open free space at either end of the slot. When reproduction is desired, the control lever 63 is moved to one end of slot 54 whereupon only the stylus (it moves down to the record 19 and when recording is desired, the lever 63 is moved to the.

other end of slot 64 and only the stylus 50 moves down to the record I9. In either of these selective actions, the feed nut 32 engages the feed screw 29. This construction is also well known to. the art.

Because there is an open space in slot 64 on either side of control lever 53 when said lever is in neutral position as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the hook latch 58 is provided with a pair of hooks 53, spaced from each other and having inserts 54 adapted to fit in the slot free spaces on either side of control lever 53 to lock the carriage 2!] in the right hand extreme position and prevent it from sliding and to maintain the lever in neutral position to prevent either of the stylii 60, or G! from moving to operative position. Because this modified latch contains two spaced hooks 53, it can be employed for latching only when. the control lever is in neutral position.

If desired, the standard I3 may have a slot therein accommodating a spring element II which presses against the projection 52 of latch 55 to aid in maintaining the same in inoperative position and to prevent accidental displacement thereof while in inoperative position.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and difierent embodiments of the invention could be made without departina from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description. or shown'in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. The combination with a phonograph comprising a frame, a carriage supportedv on said frame for record-traversing movement, translating means carried by said carriage and movable therewith, said carriage having a slot therein, a, control lever extending through said slot and movable with said carriage, said translating, means being movable to operative and inoperative positions incident to moving said lever in said slot; of a latching device carried by said frame and movable with respect thereto to and from operative position, said device when in operative position having a portion located in said slot and acting to prevent record-traversing movement 0! said carriage and also to maintain. said control lever in the position thereof wherein said translating device is in inoperative position.

2. In combination with a phonograph comprising a base,.a plurality of standards secured to said base and extending upwardly therefrom, a carriage, a carriage supporting rod supported by said standards, said carriage carried by said rod and having a slot therein, a feed screw carried by said standards, a feed nut carried by said carriage and actuable by said feed screw, translating means including a stylus supported by said carriage, a control lever supported by said carriage and extending through said slot, said stylus and feed nut being movable to operative and inoperative position as incidents to the actuation of said lever in said slot, said carriage being free to slide on said rod when said lever is in neutral position whereby said stylus and feed nut are in inoperative position; of a hook latch pivotally and slidably supported on one of said standards, in operative position the free end of said latch located in said slot to maintain said control lever in said neutral position and to keep said carriage from any material sliding movement on said rod.

3. In combination with a phonograph comprising a base, a plurality of standards secured to said base and extending upwardly therefrom, a carriage, a carriage supporting rod supported by said standards, said carriage carried by said rod and having a slot therein, a feed screw carried by said standards, a feed nut carried by said carriage and actuable by said feed screw, translating means including a stylus supported by said carriage, a control lever supported by said carriage and extending through said slot. said stylus and feed nut being movable to operative and inoperative position as incidents to the actuation of said lever in said slot, said carriage being free to slide on said rod when said lever is in neutral position; of a pin carried by one of said standards and extending outwardly therefrom and a hook latch having a slot therein, said pin extending through said slot, said latch being slidably and pivotally movable on said pin for removably inserting the free end of said latch into said slot when said lever is in said neutral position to maintain said lever in said position and to prevent said carriage from sliding on said rod.

4. In a phonograph comprising a frame, a carriage mounted on said frame for recordtraversing movement, translating means including a record-cooperable stylus and carried by said carriage, a drive for advancing said carriage: the combination of a control member coupled to said translating means and said drive, said control member being movable into a neutral position to disable said drive and to move said stylus to an inoperative position and being movable into an operative position to render said drive effective and to place said stylus into an operative position; and means comprising a unitary latching member movably mounted on said frame, said latching member when said carriage is at a predetermined position in the path of its recordtraversing movement and when said control lever is in a neutral position, being movable into obstructing relation with both said carriage and control lever for locking said carriage and said control lever in their said respective positions.

5. In a phonograph including a frame, a rotatable record support on said frame and a recordcooperating translating device: the combination of a carriage for said device mounted on said frame for traveling movement of the device across a supported record; a control member movably mounted on said carriage and coupled to said translating device for adjusting the latter into operative and inoperative conditions; and a movably-mounted latch member on said frame movable into a relation with said carriage to lock the latter against being moved in its path of traveling movement, said latch member including a portion which, when the latch member is in a locking position, lies in an obstructing position relative to said control member to lock the control member in relation to said carriage.

6. In a phonograph including a frame, a carriage mounted on said frame for traveling movement and having a slot therein, a translating device supported by said carriage, and an adjustable mechanism on said carriage for said device including a manual control member movable relative to the carriage into neutral and other positions for placing the translating device into neutral and other conditions respectively: a latching member movably mounted on said frame for engagement with said slot, when the carriage is in a predetermined position in its path of traveling movement, to lock the carriage in said position, said latching member having a portion coacting with said manual control member to prevent movement of the latching member into latching position except when said control member is in neutral position and to lock said control member in neutral position when the latching member is in latching position.

ROSCOE C. VAN CAMP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 531,690 McKelvey Jan. 1, 1895 1,067,530 Lindstrom July 15, 1913 2,076,298 Harris Apr. 6, 1937 2,289,408 Carlson July 14, 1942 2,375,658 Johnson May 8, 1945 2,455,466 Brubaker Dec. 7, 1948 

